


Bubbles

by orphan_account



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Bisexual!Lance, BoyxBoy, Cuban Lance (Voltron), Fluff, Gay, Genderfluid Pidge | Katie Holt, Keithiskorean, Korean Keith (Voltron), M/M, OC, Pidge - Freeform, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Sad, Shallura if you squint, Shiro and Keith are brothers, Tears, Very fluffy, Voltron, dirtylaundry, firstfanfic, fromvoltron, gay!keith, gaygaygay, genderfluid!Pidge, hey there, hinting shallura, hunk - Freeform, hunkgarrett, inspiredbydirtylaundry, isalsoonwattpad, katieholt, keith kogane - Freeform, keithkogane - Freeform, klance, lance mcclain - Freeform, lancemcclain, lotsofgay, loveislove, maybe Shallura, mullet - Freeform, myboysareamess, myrainbowboys, othercharacters - Freeform, pidge is genderfluid, pidgegunderson, shallura - Freeform, shiroappearslater, spacedadshiro, sup - Freeform, wattpad, whatamIdoing, yeslanceiscuban
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-17
Updated: 2017-12-19
Packaged: 2019-02-15 22:39:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13040952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: This trip between Keith and Lance could change the boys, for better or worse.All chapters are long.Inspired by the Klance fic "Dirty Laundry"





	1. Day 0

Day 0

December 12, 2017

2:48 p.m.

At Allura Altea's college dorm, her, Pidge Gunderson, Hunk Garrett, Lance McClain, and Keith Kogane hung out. They bickered and laughed about random things, often swearing and just talking like friends do.

Suddenly, Pidge jumped up, slamming her hands down on Allura's shiny wooden desk, her thick-rimmed glasses almost sliding off her nose.

Everyone jumped, glaring at Pidge with a look of disgust.

"What the hell, Pidge?" Lance countered, sticking his nose in the air, a habit he did when he was annoyed. His brown hair was mussed and ruffled, evidence of the noogies he received from his friends.

"I have an idea!" Pidge exclaimed loudly, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She was practically trembling with happiness, her smile wide and toothy. This meant she was really riled up about something.

Keith frowned and tucked a piece of his black hair behind his ear. "Spit it out, Pigeon. Don't keep me waiting."

Pidge stuck her tongue out at Keith before turning back to her excited form. "How about we all go on vacation, for Christmas break?"

The room was silent for a little.

"I believe I could attend," Allura pondered, her accent thick and soothing no matter the situation. Makeup tainted her cocoa skin, making her more beautiful than she already was. "I am not sure, however."

Hunk tilted his head ever so slightly. "Um, yeah, er, I guess I could go..." he mumbled, little bit unsure.

"I'm not sure about my plans, but if I were free I'd totally go!" Lance expressed, his signature shit-eating crooked grin painted on his face.

The rest of the group turned to Keith, waiting expectantly.

"What about you, Keith? Can you go?" Pidge asked, and an undistinguishable emotion was hidden in her voice. Keith could tell; he was good at deciphering the emotions people hid.

"I mean, why not." Keith muttered, heart beating a little quicker. He actually didn't really want to go. He liked the comfort of his dorm room, and the thought of sharing a room made his anxiety start to peak. He hated socializing, even if it was with his best friends.

An emotion Keith couldn't figure out flashed across Allura's face, before she was smiling again. "Well, that's wonderful! Thanks for the great idea, Pidge, but where would we go?"

"Well, I believe we could go to Hawaii. But that doesn't really bring out the Christmas spirit. So another option is, maybe, New York? There'll be snow. Maybe Minnesota for less crowded people?" Pidge questioned, face screwed in thought.

"I want Hawaii!" Lance piped up, raising his hand vigorously and bouncing up and down.

"You dipshit, New York is obviously the best." Keith scoffed, rolling his eyes at Lance, who scowled at Keith.

"Keith, language! And, Hawaii is better! Imagine the sand and hot weather and the ocean..." Lance listed, counting on his fingers while glaring at Keith.

"Exactly. As Pidge pointed out, it doesn't bring out the Christmas spirit. There are no Christmas-y vibes with the sun and sand." Keith explained, crossing his arms and smirking like he already won the argument. Which, he probably did.

"Fine then, stupid! Let's take a vote! Go to Keith if you want New York and go to me if you want Hawaii!" Lance yelled, giving Keith a deadly glare.

Almost immediately, Pidge and Hunk moved over to Keith, while Allura bounded over to Lance like a puppy.

Keith gave a victorious smirk to Lance, who huffed and crossed his arms.

"Fine then! Fine! At least the most beautiful girl in this room sided with me!" Lance growled. Allura laughed heartily and embarrassedly scratched her head.

"Actually, I agree with you there." Pidge shrugged, pushing her glasses back up her nose.

Keith actually didn't want to go to New York. He just wanted to argue with Lance. He could imagine the loads of people, the loud noises, the smells, and it made Keith want to barf. He instinctively dug his nails into his palms, a habit he had picked up when he got nervous.

There'll be so many people.

So much noise.

I don't want to go...

But Keith also had nothing to do during Christmas other than stay in his dorm room, alone. And doing that for three weeks? No thanks. He would rather hang out with his best friends than just stay inside all the time like a gremlin, although it was a considerable option to.

Lance, on the other hand, was ecstatic.

He was busy imagining all the ladies he'd meet that were wrapped up in scarves, pink noses, beautiful eyes... Although it would've been better to see the girls in bikinis (hence Lance wanting to go to Hawaii), he was actually pretty okay with going to New York. The only thing he didn't want to do was stay in a room with Keith Kogane.

Oh, Keith and Lance were rivals.

Whenever around each other, they always bickered, they always argued, they always tried to brush each other off. They were both competitive, and even if it meant racing to the kitchen, each boy would want to win. Keith normally won the mind-orientated rivalry games, such as video games. Lance conquered the physical games, like dance-offs.

That was because Keith couldn't dance for shit.

Another thing; Lance was bisexual.

Swinging both ways, Lance found pleasure in boys and girls. He would flirt with either gender, not minding his family's protests. His family wasn't homophobic, no, not at all; they were loving, caring, and nurturing, everything you'd want in a family, but they had their share of struggles. They just wanted Lance to be swinging one way or the other.

Lance emerged from a huge family, with plentiful amounts of brothers, sisters, and cousins. Lance described himself as "the handsomest one", and the "most outgoing" one.

Keith couldn't see Lance as the handsomest one, but the boy was really cocky and egotistical, which might make him outgoing. So Keith agreed with the fact that, yes, Lance was outgoing.

Keith was hella gay.

Keith didn't flirt, so he just kept to himself. Keith had the ability to look at a boy and list him as cute or not, then he'd be on his way. He didn't want a serious relationship, so he built walls up. He never had a serious crush, just some pining for a few moments every now and then.

Keith found himself zoning out, staring out the dorm room window, focused on the lovely green grass and the ocean of trees outside. He didn't pay attention to the conversation around him, just listening to the laughs that arose every now and then.

Suddenly, he felt a smack to the back of his head.

He squeaked in surprise, turning around and viewing Lance, who had slapped the back of his head. "What the hell!" Keith angrily said.

"I was calling your name for the past, like, thirty seconds!" Lance whined, drooping his shoulders like a little kid.

Keith scowled at Lance. "You can just tap me next time, not hit me. And why were you calling me?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to know why you were staring out the window," Lance shrugged. He then wiggled his eyebrows and smirked. "Did you see a girl that appealed to your eyes?"

Keith shot Lance a look that said, 'you are the dumbest dude I know'.

Pidge, Hunk, and Allura leaned back on the bed, grinning and getting ready for the oncoming argument.

"First of all, smart-ass, I suffer from gay overflow. And second, I was just zoning out." Keith huffed, nudging Lance in the chest lightly.

"Watch your language, you fucking dipshit!" Lance yelped, kicking Keith lightly.

"You just swore! And get your feet off of my glorious body!" Keith snapped, pushing Lance's foot away.

"Your body's not glorious! You're the skinniest shrimp I've ever seen! I can see your ribs when you're shirtless! Chances are your hipbones can be easily spotted!" Lance shot back, sticking his tongue out at Keith.

"You have the pointiest chin, Lance McClain! You can cut a goddamn cake with that thing!" Keith fired back, pointing a finger at Lance's chin. That made the rest of the group, except Lance, snicker.

"You ass!" Lance pouted. "If my chin is that pointy, I would gladly cut you with it!"

"I don't want your chin touching me!"

"You meanie!"

"That's the only insult you have?"

"There are children present!" Lance exclaimed, gesturing to Pidge. The teenager rolled her eyes.

"You little – " Keith began.

"Go ahead! Call me a name in the presence of children!"

"Whatever. You do realize you started this, right? You just had to hit me in the back of my head."

"You were ignoring me!"

"I was zoning out, not ignoring you."

Allura stood up, going in between Lance and Keith, who were still bickering. "Alright, you animals! That is quite enough!"

Keith immediately quieted down, still glaring at Lance. Lance scowled at Keith, gritting his teeth.

"Any more of this, I'll be putting you two in the same car ride." Allura smirked thoughtfully.

Lance gaped at Allura. "You – I – NO! You can't do this to me, Allura!" he pouted, sticking his bottom lip out and giving puppy-dog eyes.

"I don't want to be in the same car with Pointy-Chin!" Keith protested, eyes travelling over to Lance.

"That settles it. We will be driving to New York, and you two will be in the same car while me, Pidge, and Hunk travel together." Allura firmly stated, eyes like lasers.

That made Keith and Lance shut up. They knew better than to argue with Allura, who was terrifying in her own way.

"Yeah, I agree with Allura," Pidge grinned. "I'm tired of your bickering. Learn to get along or I'll put you two in the same hotel room."

"What? You can't do that!" Lance expressed, glaring at PIdge.

"While you guys argued, Me, Hunk, and Allura came up with roles. I'm in charge of finding the hotel, Hunk is in charge of buying food for the car ride, and Allura is in charge of keeping you banshees in line." Pidge sneered, knowing she had Lance and Keith like lambs to the slaughter. "That means I have the capability of putting you guys together."

Keith inwardly groaned, while Lance outwardly groaned.

"Fine. But like, how will we pay for the hotel room, and how long are we staying?" Lance sighed, admitting to defeat.

"We'll all chip in a fair amount of money. We all have side jobs, so it'll work. And we can stay for two weeks." Pidge simply stated.

"Two weeks with this annoying guy," Lance groaned, flopping face-first on Allura's bed. Everyone knew he was talking about Keith.

"Shut up."

"Make me, you pig!"

"Didn't you say I was the skinniest shrimp? I'm pretty sure a pig contradicts with a shrimp." Keith smugly stated, grinning because he sounded smart.

"Shut your hole!" Lance growled.

"Yep. I am totally putting you two in the same room." Pidge smirked, fingers clicking on her laptop keys.

"Noooo!" Lance whined, dragging out the "o".

"Then both of you, be quiet!" Allura grumbled.

"Yeah, this is getting annoying," Hunk shrugged.

"He keeps starting arguments." Keith said, lazily, jabbing a thumb at Lance.

Lance opened and closed his mouth a few times before sighing in defeat, not wanting to provoke his friends and Keith any further.

After a few minutes of silence and laptop key clicks, Pidge snapped her fingers.

"I found a hotel. 'Paladin Hotel', as it states. It looks pretty nice, but it's $250 a night. Someone tell me how much money we'd need if we'd be staying for two weeks."

Lance squinted, doing mental math. "Um... carry the one... multiply... aha!"

Everyone turned to Lance expectantly.

Lance's smile disappeared. "Ah, sorry. I forgot the answer."

Pidge rolled her eyes. "That's $3,500. Do we have that much?"

Allura beamed. "I have about $700, a parting gift from my father, and about $500 from Professor Coran, who gave it to me for being such a smart student."

"Okay, so that's $1,200 down." Pidge noted.

"I have $800 that all my family members chipped in for me to use," Lance observed.

"That's $2,000 down." Pidge said.

"Um, I think I have $500 from my side job and from my family." Hunk said.

"That's $2,500. We need a thousand more dollars. I have some money from my brother Matt and my dad that equals to the amount of $3,100. All we need is $400. Keith, do you have that much?" Pidge asked, turning to Keith. Keith simply nodded.

"Great! I advise you all to bring at least $100 just in case we want to eat at a restaurant or go shopping or stuff like that," Pidge advised, booking the hotel and shutting her laptop.

"Great!" Allura beamed, clasping her hands together. "We shall leave in two days, leaving Hunk to buy food for a day!"

Lance jumped up and yelped. "I have to start packing!"

Keith groaned. "You spoiled brat."

"What! It's not my fault I have an overload of clothes!"

"Suuuuuuure."

"Oh, I am a saver, not a spender."

"Right. And I'm Beyonce."

"Guys!" Allura screamed. She wrapped her hands around Keith and Lance and pushed them away. "Out! Now!"

Keith and Lance bowed their heads and obeyed, running out of the room and closing the doors, hearing snickers from Pidge and Hunk on the other side.

Keith glared at Lance, who was slightly taller than him. "Look, you pissed off Allura."

"I just declared that I had to pack!" Lance said defensively, throwing his hands in the air.

"You could've just packed tomorrow!" Keith grumbled.

"Whatever!"

Keith groaned loudly.

"I hate you."

The words just slipped out of his mouth, unexpected. They felt hollow and airy, like he didn't mean it. He had said the same three words to Lance before, and Lance kindly returned them. Lance and Keith would always say "I hate you", but it was considered playful banter.

Keith didn't actually hate Lance.

They were rivals, yes; but other than that, they were what you would consider "friends", in their own, twisted way. Of course, Keith would never die for Lance and Lance would never die for Keith, but they were merely acquaintances. Behind the rivalry, they did care for each other, but never showed it. But if Keith had to choose between Lance and a single French fry, chances are he'd choose the French fry.

Lance smirked. "I hate you, too."

His shit-eating grin was on his cocky face again, making Keith sigh loudly and walk past Lance.

"Wha – hey! Where are you going?" Lance whined, calling after Keith, whose feet were thundering on the hardwood hallway floor.

"Away from you!" Keith called back, not bothering to look back.

"Fine then, I'll go pack!" Lance yelled back, his voice growing more distant.

Keith wasn't happy about driving with Lance.

But hey, maybe it wouldn't be that bad.

Day 0

December 12, 2017

3:01 p.m.

Lance bounded down the hall, doing some small dance moves that he normally pulled when alone.

He was trying to cool down from Keith, who was annoying him. Of course, Lance, being the cocky dipshit he was, hid his annoyance with humor.

Lance liked to argue with Keith. It gave him something to do. But, the annoyance factor Keith had was just unfathomable. Lance didn't know if Keith knew he was annoying, but if he did, he was being a dick. Lance tolerated Keith the best as he could, always pulling some smart-ass retorts. He liked to test Keith; he always insulted him and saw if Keith had the mojo to reply.

Keith always threw back some witty remarks without batting an eye, and it made Lance jealous that Lance could be so annoying and Keith wouldn't even flinch. Keith had practically no reflexes, as he did things instinctively. Keith could be in a completely different room from Lance, and if Lance tried to steal Keith's cookies or something, Keith would bolt in randomly and yell at Lance.

Lance saw Keith as the most annoying person to live.

He also loved competing with Keith, however. Lance was just always so set on winning that he would challenge Keith to the most lame things, like who could go longer without sleep. (Keith won, because he basically lived without any sleep at all.)

Lance couldn't find it in him to genuinely care about Keith.

Yes, he cared. He did. If he had to save Keith from dying, he would do it in a heartbeat. But he wouldn't do something absurd for Keith, like, he would never die for Keith.

He hoped Keith felt the same way.

He wanted this twisted friendship of his and Keith's to stay mutual and simple. He liked the rivalry; no, he LOVED the rivalry.

But he practically hated Keith.

He could never see Keith and him as... best friends. Sure, they were labeled as best friends, but those were labels. They were rivals. They were competitive. They cared about each other, but hated each other's guts at the same time.

Lance also loved throwing insults at Keith.

Keith loved throwing insults at Lance.

It was a complicated friendship.

___

Day 0

December 12, 2017

3:01 p.m.

In Keith's dorm, Keith was laying on his bed.

Keith always laid on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

He used the valuable free time to ponder and contemplate life.

You see, Keith always felt alone.

It didn't matter if he was with others.

He was alone.

He was a lonely crab in the middle of a forest, a penguin in the desert, a bird in the ocean.

While everyone felt as if they belonged, Keith was empty.

He had walls up. He admitted it.

He built walls, walls that blocked him away, so he could hide. He hid. He didn't want to face rejection. He pushed others away before they had the chance to do the same to him.

Rejection always stared at his face. It was always near. It always hid, but it was always there. Keith always sensed the presence of rejection. He wanted to run, but he couldn't because rejection would catch up with him. Rejection would lock him away, in a chamber, chains on his wrists that prevented him from escaping.

Then his insecurities would come into that chamber. His insecurities would starve him. They would sneer at him, laugh at him, beat him up as Keith helplessly watched, tears overflowing and going onto his cheeks.

Another thing.

Keith hated crying with all of his heart.

He didn't like the salty taste of the tears. He didn't like that they came because you felt sad, because they practically made it obvious that you were down in the dumps. Crying was messy. Crying was unnecessary.

It took a lot to make Keith cry. He only cried at least once in his life. Only once, probably more when he was just very small. He didn't like that it was human nature. He hated it. It made his eyes red and puffy like he was high, it made his nose runny and made his nose burn, it stained his cheeks.

So he never cried.

He kept the emotions bottled up in his mind, safely locked, the key thrown away so the bottle of emotions could never open. Yes, that bottle had been very close to cracking open before, but Keith always fixed it. He never let others see him cry.

He had been very close to breaking down before, however. It happened when he saw Lance's mother reaching up to kiss Lance's forehead, how unbelievable overprotective she was, and how sweet she was. It was so sweet, it was tooth rottening; it made Keith's eyes a little watery. That was all.

__

Lance viewed his oversized closet, his hands on his hips, his head tilted to the right, his face screwed up in thought.

"Alright," he said to no one in particular. "You wanna fight me, closet? Go ahead! I will stuff all of your clothes in my bags whether you like it or not!"

Lance wrapped his hands around the closet doorknobs and threw it open, the doors making little creaks. He stared at the mountains of clothes, none of them folded, all of them either wrinkled or dirty, because Lance was too lazy to do daily laundry.

Lance was tempted to shut the doors, turn around, and just take a nap. But he rid himself of those thoughts, shaking his head and squeezing his eyes shut tight.

"Two can play at that game!" Lance spat, hand enclosing on a pair of wrinkled blue boxers that Lance didn't know if it was dirty or not.

Lance did know how to fold clothes. He was flawless at the chore. When he was forced to clean, he did it efficiently and perfectly, all while bickering and complaining. But he knew the tricks to making the perfect folded shirt or pants; he learned from only the best, his mother, Alexis Madrillo McClain, who was a neat freak.

Lance cautiously folded the boxers, then softly placed them in his turquoise luggage, making sure they were perfectly in place. He grumbled under his breath.

"This is too much work," he mumbled to himself. "And I only folded one pair of boxers!"

The next thing he grabbed was a light red shirt that displayed the words "I'M NOT A HYENA; I JUST LOVE LAUGHING" in dark blue bolded print. This shirt had been through almost everything with Lance...

"Feliz Navidad, mi niño," Lance's grandma weakly mumbled, gesturing to the folded shirt that lay in her lap on the hospital bed.

"Abuela..." Lance murmured, clasping his grandma's cold hands in his own.

He examined them.

They were a sickly shade of brown, with scattered spots all over the place. The hands were wired and wrinkled, the signs of old age that rested in most people as time progressed. The fingernails were short, clipped, and painted a dark shade of purple, his Abuela's favorite color. She had always nagged about her nails when she was younger and healthier, like how she wanted a manicure. Lance's mother did what she could, cutting her mother's nails, filing them, and lastly, painting them. Lance found the shade of purple very warming, like the soft shade of orchid petals, or the soothing sight of lavender.

He took the shirt.

When he unfolded it, of course, he thought it was lame, but he plastered a fake smile on and nodded at his abuela.

"Gracias, Abuela."

Abuela's sucked-in lips formed a tight grin, the only thing she could manage. Her white hair that was in a braid fell on her shoulder.

"I... I bought it," she chuckled, her voice old and withered. "I bought it because it suits you well. You... you are always laughing, mijo. I took, I took one look at this shirt and thought of you. I decided that I must buy it, for Christmas."

Lance scornfully looked at Abuela, sucking in a breath.

She was managing a small smile.

Lance looked down at the shirt.

No, he decided. It isn't lame. It represents my love for Abuela and her love for me.

Lance let out a shaky breath and gently hugged Abuela, smiling. "It's truly beautiful. I'm not lying when I say I love it."

"That is very good." Abuela sighed happily and tiredly.

Lance wasn't in the room when Abuela had passed away, but he wore the shirt for a week straight, not bothering to wash it.

Lance chuckled a little as he folded the shirt, which was a little tight-fitting on him, but he loved it nonetheless.

Abuela was correct. Lance loved laughing. He did it when his best friends were stressed, he did it in the most serious of moments, he did it everywhere. He wanted to help lighten the mood, and he did that with hearty laughter. Lance's laughter was contagious. It was sort of wheezy and loud, hence the reason why everyone loved it. Heck, he even got Keith to laugh before because of his laughter. (That was a "one-time thing" according to Keith.)

Lance always attempted to be cheerful. In bad times where he's self-insecure, he attempts to look in the mirror and smile, despite tears cascading down his face and snot running from his nose. Of course, he looked crazy when doing that, but it managed to calm him down slightly.

Already implied as the "dumb boy" in the group, Lance did nothing to change his status. He considered himself quite ravishing, although the others don't think so. Lance already learned to block the rude comments out, and he didn't take them to heart.

Sometimes, he did consider himself the "dumb boy". If people considered him as that boy, then he considered him that himself. Sometimes, he did take things to heart. Sometimes, he thought people would be okay with Lance there, without Lance to smile, to make snarky comments, or to laugh. But the group always assured him that he was there for a reason.

__

Day 0

December 12, 2017

3:37 p.m.

After a few more minutes of packing and tired sighs and angry mumbles, Lance decided he was tired of this. His luggage was almost filled to the max, an overload of neatly folded clothes stacked upon more clothes. Lance was satisfied with his work, so he stood up, zipped the suitcase closed, and found himself walking towards his door that led to the hallway.

Lance swung the door open, yelping when he came face to face with Pidge.

"What the frickle frackle, Pidge!" Lance shrieked, almost slamming the door on the short brunette, who had her signature black glasses on, and was wearing jeans and a green t-shirt.

"Sup, Lance!" Pidge chirped.

"What are you doing here?"

Pidge ignored Lance's question, only grinning. "Thanks for inviting me to stay!"

"Wha – I didn't invite you to stay!"

"And thanks for letting me steal your cookies!" Pidge smiled, entering the room and towards the small kitchen.

"What – I didn't say you could take my cookies!" Lancec argued, turning to see Pidge, who was greedily snatching many of Lance's chocolate chip cookies.

"And thanks for letting me lay on your bed!" Pidge hollered, striding over to Lance's bed and flopping on it, stuffing a cookie in her mouth.

Lance was fed up at this point. "What the hell, Pidge! I never said you could do any of this!"

Pidge's joking gaze turned into a serious one. "I understand that. I just needed to talk to you and I decided that I also wanted some of your cookies."

Lance looked at Pidge in utter disbelief as he went to sit down next to her, the bed groaning underneath them.

"So, what is it?" Lance asked, glancing at Pidge.

Pidge took out a cookie in her mouth, viewing it with a nervous look. "I... I've been questioning my sexuality. I mean, I'm a girl. That much is obvious, but... I don't know. Some days I feel different and some days I feel... awkward, you know?"

Lance glanced knowingly at Pidge. "I know the feeling."

Pidge looked genuinely shocked. "You do?"

Lance grinned slightly and lowered his voice. "I know I hadn't come out to you guys yet, but I think I'm bisexual. I've told my family, and they seem supportive, but at the same time, I can feel that they're uncomfortable."

Pidge smirked. "Any crushes?"

Lance shook his head.

Pidge's smirk faltered. She knew Lance was serious; she had known him for the longest time.

Pidge looked down at her cookie again. "As I was saying, sometimes I love my body but other times, I feel uncomfortable. Like, some days, I feel different. It's... hard to explain."

Lance placed a hand on Pidge's arm. "It's fine. So what, you're trans?"

Pidge shook her head a little. "I don't think so. I love my body, still. I think I'm genderfluid."

Lance suddenly wrapped his arms around Pidge, making Pidge squeak slightly.

"That's amazing!" Lance smiled, pulling away from the hug.

"You're not judging?" Pidge said slowly.

"Nope! What pronouns are you using right now?"

"Um, she/her please," Pidge smiled, tucking a strand of her short hair back.

"...How do you feel?"

Pidge tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"I guess I'm having a hard time accepting myself. My family's disappointed in me, although they don't show it. What if I have to stop being bisexual? What if I need to stop learning how to be happy with myself? What if others reject me?"

"Lance, don't change for anyone. This is just who you are and you can't change something like that," Pidge explained. "As for me, I'm okay with who I am. It's who I am as a person, and I can't deny it. You don't have to come out to the others right away."

"It's just hard to do."

"Hell, I'm not going to come out to Matt anytime soon. I guess I'm scared of rejection from him, too." Pidge chuckled.

"...Pidge, Matt is, like, gay."

"What?"

"He's, like, gay."

"He never told me!"

"The body language is there. Honestly, I think he's bisexual. Horny around girls and boys." Lance laughed.

"How come he never told me?"

"He's scared, as you said you were." Lance simply stated.

Pidge chuckled dryly, closing her eyes. "I guess we're all scared, huh?"

"I guess. Uh, do you think Keith was ever scared?"

Pidge opened her eyes. "Ask him that yourself."

It was silent, before Pidge stuffed the cookie in her mouth and stood up. "Well, I'm out of here! Thanks for everything, Lance!"

Lance grinned and waved. "Bye, Pidge! Don't take that many cookies!"

Pidge grinned. "I won't!" she yelled, before skipping out of Lance's dorm room and shutting the door.

___

Day 0

December 12, 2017

4:07 p.m.

Keith was resting on his bed, bouncing his head up and down to Twenty One Pilots, Panic! At The Disco, and Owl City.

Suddenly, his dorm room door swung open in a flash. Keith squeaked and shut off his phone, making the music turn off.

"Keith!" the figure yelled, hands on his hips.

"Lance?" Keith said in disbelief. "What the hell are you doing here, breaking into my dorm?"

"First off, the door was open. Second, I needed to have a quick conversation."

Keith smirked. "So you're coming to me, huh?"

"Yes. Affirmative." Lance shrugged, flopping on Keith's bed.

"Now you're stealing my bed?!"

"Correct," Lance grinned.

Keith sighed. "What did you need to talk about?"

Lance sat up. "Um, so, I'm bi. You know, bisexual?"

Keith gaped at Lance. "...Oh."

Lance's eyes widened. "That's it? Just a small 'oh'?"

"I don't really have a reaction. So, what, you just came here to my dorm to talk about you being horny around male and female people?"

Lance smacked Keith playfully. "No!"

"Then why did you come here?"

"You see, you're always so confident in being gay. You never hide it, you accept yourself. I want to be like that. I need help in being like that. So, what I want to do is make a deal."

Keith's eyebrows furrowed. "Um, okay?"

"How about, during the trip, I help you find the 'special one' and a social life, and you help me accept who I am, and, I don't know, maybe help me find a relationship?" Lance grinned. He stuck out a hand for Keith to shake.

Keith pondered this.

He wanted to be able to communicate better with others; yes, that was clear. He didn't want a serious relationship, but he was willing to try. And he could help Lance into accepting himself. Keith had a hard time accepting himself as well, so he could help Lance.

Keith sniffed. "Deal." He said enwrapping his hand around Lance's outstretched one.

They shook their hands.

_


	2. Day 2 (part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance and Keith start the crazy car ride to New York.

Day 3, part 1

December 13, 2017

7:27 a.m.

 

You would not believe your eyes, if ten million fireflies…

Keith groaned groggily as he realized his phone was ringing, his ringtone piercing his ears. The phone was right under his pillow, making it hard to focus.

With bleary eyes, Keith fumbled for his phone, sliding his hand underneath the soft silk of the pillow. He lazily hit Answer, pressing the phone to his ear.

“Mm… Hello?” he drawled, rolling over to his side and trying not to fall asleep.

“Keith! Keith!” Allura’s shrill voice rang through the phone, almost making Keith jolt off the bed. Allura’s voice cut through his head like glass, making him whine.

“What the heck, Allura. You can’t just wake me up and then scream into my ear!” Keith shot back, placing a hand over his eyes and sighing.

“Watch your language,” Allura grumbled, “And get up! It’s almost time to go, we have to be ready by eight o’clock and it’s almost seven thirty!”

“Allura, what’s the rush?” Keith mumbled.

“I want to be there early so we have time to look around New York City! And Pidge and Hunk were whining for Starbucks, so we have to make a stop there.” 

“Fine, yeah, yes, whatever. Now leave me alone.”

“Oh, and, be a dear and wake Lance up, would you? He isn’t particularly a morning person. The last time I tried waking him up this early, he yelled at me and it hurt my ears.”

Keith mumbled a half-hearted response, before hanging up the call and groaning into his pillow.

As of yesterday, Hunk went out and bought all sorts of foods. Canned foods, chicken, any type of food you can name, Hunk bought it.

Keith weighed his options, something he always did when there was a situation at hand. 

I could go back to sleep and be yelled at by Allura, or I could get up and sleep in the car… with Lance.

After a few, long moments of Keith’s mental voice tuning in, Keith decided it’d be best not to tick Allura off. After all, he wanted Starbucks as well, because he got high on no sleep and he lived off of caffeine.

Keith swung his legs over the bed, mumbling incoherent words. He stood up, his legs feeling shaky, before trudging over to his dresser.

Pushing his closet doors open, Keith squinted at his clothes, all neatly folded and stacked.

“It’s just a car ride, Keith. You don’t have to look that presentable.” Keith whispered to himself. After inner debates, he reluctantly grabbed a pair of blue jeans and a black hoodie.

After changing into his jeans and slipping the hoodie over his white shirt, Keith pulled on some black sneakers. 

In the bathroom, Keith ran a brush through his hair multiple times, making sure his mullet looked okay. Then he grabbed his luggage and left his dorm room.

The hallway was eerily quiet, proof that mostly every college student had left over the break. Keith’s eyes rested on the patterned white walls and the papers that loosely hung from thumbtacks. The carpet crunched underneath his sneakers, and Keith began to walk a little faster.

Stopping in front of Lance’s dorm door, Keith took a deep breath.

Wait, why was he even taking a deep breath?

Keith was preparing himself to open Lance’s dorm room door.

Pathetic.

Keith shook his head, gradually pushing the door open, scared for whatever he would see. Oh, Jesus, what if Lance was changing? What if he was making out with some girl? What if he was – 

Lance was sitting on his bed, staring at the wall, seemingly half-asleep.

Keith breathed a sigh of relief, stepping inside the room.

First, he looked at Lance.

Lance was wearing a tight-looking blue t-shirt, while wearing indigo shorts that stretched to his knees. His hair was a wild mess, random pieces of follicles spread out everywhere.

“Hey man,” Keith nonchalantly nodded, “Uh, you alright over there?”

Lance snapped out of his daze, yelping. “Keith! Haven’t you ever heard of knocking?!” he yelled, chucking a pillow at the mullet-head.

Keith froze.

Right, he could’ve knocked! Keith felt himself go red. God, I’m such an idiot… he thought to himself.

“Sorry,” Keith murmured awkwardly.

Lance and Keith awkwardly stared at each other. The tension in the room could be sliced with a knife.

Keith finally coughed awkwardly, eyes tearing away from Lance’s blue ones. Regaining composure, he stood up straighter. “Allura called to tell me that we need to be going soon.”

Lance scoffed, attempting to find Keith’s indigo pools once again, yet failing when Keith avoided eye contact. “Let Allura be Allura. I’ll leave whenever I want to.” He grinned cockily.

“Or, you could fix your hair, change, and look nice.” Keith murmured, tilting his head.

Lance pouted and ran a hand through his hair. “Ah, fine. I’ll be right back. Stay here and don’t do anything, I’m going to shower.”

Lance stood up, yawning. He stretched, arms above his head, and his shirt got pulled a little bit up, revealing tan skin and his belly button.

“Be quick,” Keith said quickly, averting his eyes from Lance’s stomach.

“I’m the great Lance. Speedy is my middle name!” Lance claimed, sashaying over to the bathroom.

Keith felt red dust his cheeks as Lance flashed him a wink before Lance closed the bathroom door shut.

Keith grimaced to himself as he felt his eyes swivel around the room. Lance’s dorm was the very definition of dirty. Dirty laundry and clothes dotted the carpet, not to mention the dirty bowls and plates that rested upon countertops and tables. Keith hated it.

Keith was an absolute neat freak. Whenever he got up, he made sure his bedsheets were folded nicely. He always folded his clothes and spent moments organizing his shoes by color. He was pretty sure he had OCD, which made him want to fix Lance’s dorm.

So he did.

Starting with the bedsheets.

Keith grumbled as he wrapped his hands around the baby blue blanket, which was warm and cozy, a result of Lance sleeping in it throughout the night. Folding it neatly, Keith couldn’t help but be a little bit annoyed. “Stupid Lance, making me fix his room,” Keith muttered to himself, knowing all too well that it wasn’t Lance’s fault, but rather, his own need.

After the bedsheets were nice and folded, Keith went on to collecting all the used and dirty dishes. He winced. Some of the dishes reeked and smelled spoiled. Keith brought them over to the sink nonetheless, washing them with hot water and the purple sponge he had found in a drawer.

Then, Keith went on to folding Lance’s clothes, praying he wouldn’t stumble across dirty underwear.

Keith was almost finished with folding clothes when he heard something awful from the bathroom.

Keith, being the cheeky detective he was, dropped the blue shirt he was folding and walked over to the bathroom.

And there, was when he heard the worse noise his ears grazed upon.

Lance’s singing.

A mixture of the language of whales and out-of-tune melodies, Lance’s voice was horrible.

And even worse, he was singing Beyoncé.

Now, Keith didn’t have anything against Beyoncé. But it was just that, the way that Lance was singing ruined the entire thing.

“Halo, halo, halo!” Lance practically squealed, and Keith couldn’t help but stifle oncoming giggles. Leaning towards the bathroom door hungrily, Keith pressed his left ear to the door’s smooth surface.

Lance’s voice was slightly muffled, but because of the volume he was singing at, it was… loud. And it made Keith cringe.

“Let me see your halo, halo, halo!” Lance screamed, and the sounds of water sloshing around could be distinguished.

Then he began to sing – wait for it – Taylor Swift.

Keith had to squish his hands against his pale cheeks in order for him not to burst out in laughter.

“Shake it off, shake it off! I never miss a beat! I’m lightning on my feet!” Lance shrieked.

Keith found it so amazingly adorable yet disgusting at the same time. His ears bled yet were graced with this awful noise, and it made him laugh.

Keith couldn’t help it – he began to knock on Lance’s door. “Lance! Are you okay? You sound like a dying goose!”

A yelp from Lance could be heard, making Keith practically double over in laughter.

“Keith! Privacy, please! And what are you talking about? My voice is amazing!” Lance yelled back, singing out the word “amazing”.

“Amazingly horrible!”

“Yeah, yeah! Now go away!”

Keith giggled to himself, walking away from the door and sitting on Lance’s bed.

It was a few more minutes until Lance finally walked out of the bathroom.

Keith froze where he was on Lance’s bed, staring at Lance.

Lance sucked in a breath, eyes washing over his room. It was a truly breathtaking sight; his bed was neat, his bowls were washed, his shoes were organized, his clothes were neatly folded and put away.

Lance was already changed; he wore a dark blue t-shirt and light blue jeans.

“What the heck?” Lance questioned, mouth agape.

“I cleaned your room,” Keith stated, leaning back on Lance’s bed and sighing.

“I was only in the bathroom for, like, 10 minutes. You actually had enough time to do all this?” Lance cried in disbelief, refusing to move from his spot in the room.

“I guess. I’m a cleaning machine.”

“You’re basically a human vacuum cleaner. Can you clean my car, too? And the hotel room we’re gonna stay in?” Lance quipped, going and sitting next to Keith.

“Okay, this was only a one time thing. Your room was drowning in uncleanliness and I had to step in or you’d be living in a dumpster.” Keith reasoned, not wanting Lance to look into it.

Lance only shrugged. “Alright, thanks man. Let’s go, I have my luggage all ready.”

Keith scoffed. “You actually packed? Knowing an irresponsible creature like you, I expected you to not have packed at all.”

“Excuse you, mister! Yes, I packed!” Lance shot back, standing up and heading towards the door.

Keith watched in disbelief. “Uh, Lance…?”

Lance turned around sharply, glaring daggers at Keith. “What is it?”

Keith shook his head, pointing at Lance’s luggage, which lay next to the bed. “You’re forgetting your bag, idiot.”

Lance blinked. “Uh, er… I did that on purpose! I was testing you!” He lied, running over to get his luggage, then striding out of the room. “And hurry, before Allura gets angry!”

Keith stood up, following Lance. “Aren’t you the one that said ‘Let Allura be Allura, I’ll leave whenever I want’?”

“I never said that.”

“Horton hears a bitch ass liar.”

“How many times do I have to say it? Watch. Your. Profanity!”

 

Keith and Lance settled in Lance’s mini cooper, Lance in the driver’s seat and Keith in the passengers. Their luggage was safely loaded in the trunk.

The car reeked of Air Fresheners and strawberries (Lance’s favorite scents). Honestly, it gave Keith a major headache.

“Why do I have to drive?” Lance whined, impatiently tapping his fingers on the steering wheel.

Keith hugged the white pillow he brought to his seat tightly. “Shut up, and let’s just leave.”

“I don’t want to drive!” Lance argued.

“Lance. It’s your car. This car belongs to you. Stop acting like a big baby and let’s just go.” Keith said, slightly raising his tone to a sterner one.

“Fine then. I get to choose music!”

Keith groaned, covering his face with the pillow.

“Oh, stop being such a big baby!” Lance grinned, quoting Keith.

“Can we start the car?”

“Fine!”

Lance turned the engine on, muttering under his breath about Keith being such a huge hothead.

Lance rolled out of the college parking lot.

Then the torture started.

Lance grinned as he clicked one of the car buttons that lay on the dashboard, which led to a radio station he knew all too well. He adjusted the volume, turning it up.

Keith pulled the pillow away from his face, gaping at Lance. “Is this - ?”

“Yup! It’s Beyoncé!” Lance exclaimed proudly, as Single Ladies echoed throughout the car.

“Is this a coincidence or something? Why the hell is this station playing the one thing I don’t want to hear?!”

“This station will either play Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, or Justin Bieber, which are all my faves.” Lance giggled, winking at Keith before turning his eyes back on the road.

“Really? Can’t they play Twenty Øne Pilots, or Panic! At the Disco or something?” Keith mumbled.

“Ew, get your emo crap away from my Queen B!” Lance squealed, nudging his elbow towards Keith childishly.

“First off, it isn’t ‘emo crap’. P!ATD and TØP have wonderful, deep, and relatable lyrics. How often do you hear something like ‘I ponder of something great, my lungs will fill and then deflate, they fill with fire, exhale desire, I know it’s dire, my time today’ from Justin Bieber?” Keith countered, defending his favorite bands.

Silence settled over the two for a few seconds.

Oh crap, I hope I didn’t ruin it, Keith thought to himself.

“Okay, fine, you’re right.” Lance gave up, sighing. “But nobody, not even your little Brendon Urine tops Queen Beyoncé!”

Keith gasped in fake offense, placing his palm on his chest. “Excuse you, his name is Brendon Urie, not Brendon Urine!”

“Keep telling yourself that.”

“I half expect you to listen to Jacob Sartorius.” Keith snickered.

Lance’s eyes widened. “Uh, hello? You really think I’d listen to that ear rape? Seriously, all the autotune and voice lessons in the world would fix that boy’s voice! He sounds like a pterodactyl!”

It was then that Lance burst out in laughter, swerving the car a little bit. Keith had begun to giggle a little as well, not full on laughter, but it was a start.

“Oh, good. If I found out you listen to Jacob, I would immediately stop being your friend.”

Lance stopped laughing and boggled at Keith, eyes wide. “You? Think we’re friends?”

Keith swallowed thickly. Shoot, shoot, shoot. What did Lance think they were? Not friends? Did Lance not think of Keith as a friend, but rather, a rival? Did Keith just make this entire thing awkward?

Keith squirmed a little bit in his seat. “Uh, y-yeah? Do you not think of me as a friend?”

Heart pounding, heart pounding, heart pounding…

“Of course I think of you as a f-friend!” Lance laughed nervously. “I was just, surprised that you thought of me as a friend. I thought you thought I was a r-rival.”

Ah, what had happened? Lance’s cocky demeanor had slipped away, showing an embarrassed, stuttering, blushing mess of a creature. For once, his grin wasn’t on his face. 

“Oh.” Was all Keith said quietly.

An uneasy silence settled upon the two men. It had suddenly become awkward. The aura that had been so comfortable and joking had disappeared, and the two were back to rivals. What had happened? Was it just that Keith was surprised Lance and him were friends? Was it because Lance was surprised, too?

“I, um, I think I’ll try to sleep.” Keith said awkwardly, adjusting his pillow so that it was smushed in the middle between his head and the car window to his right.

“Yeah, go ahead. I’ll wake you up in an hour or two.” Lance replied, eyes not leaving the road.

Keith laid his head against the pillow, the soft fabric tickling his ear. He closed his eyes, Ariana Grande ringing through his ears.

Keith wasn’t able to fall asleep. He was already so used to pulling all-nighters that going back to sleep was difficult for him. He didn’t label himself as an insomniac, although he probably was.

Keith decided to focus on his breathing.

In, out. In, out. In, out.

After this going on for fifteen minutes, Keith finally felt himself drifting off, when…

“AAAAAAAH!”

Keith jumped up, looking over at Lance, who had just screamed.

Lance’s chest was going up and down rapidly.

“What the heck is going on?” Keith scowled. “I was just about to sleep, so you’d better give me a good reason why you just decided to make my ears bleed.”

Lance let out a long whine. “This is a good reason, Keith!”

Keith silenced. “I’m waiting.”

Lance turned to Keith in dismay just as the car rolled to a stop at a red light. “I just remembered I didn’t pack my turtle plushie!”

Keith scowled. “Oh, so you made my ears bleed just because you forgot to pack a toy?”

Lance sighed, laying his forehead on the steering wheel. “Sorry, he was just… important.”

Keith’s gaze softened. “Oh. Sorry for lashing out like that.”

Lance’s mouth drew in a tight line. “It’s alright.”

“Uh, I can start driving, if you’d like.”

Lance’s eyes immediately brightened. “Really? Thanks! My arms feel like spaghetti!”

The car pulled over, and the two men switched places.

 

Keith groaned. “Why did I ever agree to this…”

He had been driving for a few minutes, and Lance was already out like a light.

Lance’s head would repeatedly swivel on his neck, and he was drooling and loud snores would escape his lips.

Keith was already so annoyed.

As Keith wallowed in the hot depths of hell, he waded out and realized,

He needed to make a pit stop.

 

Lance’s eyes slid open, and he groaned groggily as the car lights shone in his eyes. His limbs felt like noodles, and his head hurt a little bit.

Lifting his head from his pillow, he wiped his mouth and turned his head to the left, wondering why the car had stopped. It was sunny as Lance checked his phone for the time, and it read, 10:21 a.m. “Keith?” he mumbled.

Only, Keith wasn’t there.

Lance jolted up, looking around, alert as ever. He noticed that the car was parked in a parking lot, along with other cars. He turned to his right and noticed, in big, red, bold letters, Target.

He was parked in the Target shop parking lot.

People weaved in and out of the store doors, some pushing cars and some just walking in and out shadily. 

Where was Keith?

Fortunately, that question was answered.

The car door swung open, and Lance yelped, scooting away form his door. There, Keith was standing, grinning and crouched down to look at Lance.

“Good morning, Lancelot.” Keith muttered, standing up straight. “I had to make a little stop.”

“Why are we here?” Lance asked, a bit of annoyance creeping into his tone.

Keith grinned before stuffing something in Lance’s face.

Lance sputtered, grabbing the thing Keith had given him. It was, warm… and soft… and… green?

It was a cute little turtle plushie.

“Oh my God, what the hell?” Lance said in shock, viewing the turtle plushie.

Lance looked up at Keith, confusion plastered on his face. Keith’s face was screwed up in a genuine smile.

“Why did you get me this?” Lance snapped at Keith. He didn’t know why his tone was so angry, but it just was, and he immediately regretted it.

Keith’s smile dropped, turning into a confused expression. “O-oh, I’m s-sorry, I didn’t know you – I didn’t – I wasn’t thinking – “ He stuttered, looking down at his hands, red beginning to spread over his cheeks and ears.

Lance’s eyes immediately softened, and his grip on the plushie loosened. “Keith, no, I like it! I really do! I was just surprised, that’s all.” He said truthfully, shooting a smile at Keith.

Keith grinned again, and oh lord, it was an expression you would rarely see on the great Keith Kogane.

“No, but really, why?” Lance asked, tracing the turtle’s mouth in a curved smile.

“Well, you seemed pretty torn apart about the turtle plush you left, and I guess I’d stop here and get you another one.” Keith said. “It might not be the same as the one you have, but it’s all I found.”

Lance liked this Keith. This Keith’s nature. This Keith wasn’t the emo mullet-head, this Keith was kind and willing to help out.

Then this kind, selfless Keith disappeared, suddenly replaced with the everyday emo boy.

Keith’s warm gaze suddenly dropped. “Of course, you could just return it. We should probably be going.” He said, his familiar everyday tone cold and sharp.

Lance rolled his eyes. “Uh, no. You got me this thing, so it’s only fitting I get you one too.”

Keith glared at Lance with eyes as sharp as a snake’s pupils. “I don’t like turtles, you dipshit.”

“What animal do you like?”

Keith squirmed uncomfortably, not liking being asked questions. “Um. I like hippos?” He said, more like a question than a statement.

“Then let’s go, I’m going to buy you a hippo plushie.”

“I don’t…”

“Shut up. You can stay here, I’ll be right back.”

Keith looked dumbfounded, but he nodded his head slowly anyways. “Um… but shouldn’t we be going? Allura and them are already ahead of us. We’re only slowing them down.”

“Chill, dude. You worry too much. Let’s just go!” Lance smirked, hopping out of the car and making a beeline for Target. Keith reluctantly trailed behind like a lost puppy.

Keith was confused. He felt flustered.

Why was Lance doing this?

Deep inside, he knew it was fair for Lance to spend money for Keith because Keith bought Lance something. Equal trade, right? But just… something about what Lance was doing made Keith feel sick. Keith was meant to give the turtle as a gift for Lance just because he looked sad. Now Lance was offering to but something for Keith, but why?

Now, Keith hasn’t really experienced buying something for someone else and then getting something back. What Keith was used to was to just give, and not get. All his life, he’d give, he’d work, he’d push himself and not get anything in return. Because getting was selfish. Giving was primarily the correct thing to do.

And yet, here Keith was, letting Lance drag him along to get him a stuffed hippo. A hippo! What were even special about the darn things? Hippos, to most people, were ugly. Cartoon hippos, not so much. Now, Lance probably thought Keith was a total weirdo. Heck, Keith himself thought he was a total weirdo.

Keith got pulled back to reality when Lance’s warm hand enclosed around Keith’s arm.

“Come on!” Lance urged, gesturing to Keith and pulling him forward. “Aren’t you the one who said Allura will get angry? If you’re so worried, move faster!”

Now, if Keith were in his right mind, he would’ve found this annoying. He would’ve found Lance pushy. But as of now, when Lance was about to get him a stupid stuffed hippo? He found the action so real, so simple, and so incredibly selfless that Keith couldn’t help but not object, and let a small smile slide onto his face. 

“Fine, I’m coming!” Keith grinned, following after Lance and laughing a little as they crossed the street.

 

“How about this one?”

Keith eyed the hippo plush that Lance had showed him. Lance had a wide smile on his face as he stuffed the hippo in Keith’s face.

The hippo was a light red color, with buckteeth and two large back circles for eyes. Keith found the thing sort of cute.

“Er, why not?”

“Perfect!” Lance exclaimed. Then he shoved the thing in Keith’s hands.

Keith looked at Lance with a questioning look on his face. “Why exactly are you giving this to me? We need to pay for it.”

“I understand that, duh,” Lance huffed. “Give it a little squeeze! It needs to be really huggable! And soft! And really, really, squishy! Those are the qualities you should look for in a plush!”

Keith looked about ready to fall over. “You want me to cuddle the damn animal, in public? Won’t I look, I don’t know, weird?” he hissed, lowering his voice.

“Exactly.”

Keith glared at Lance. “I hate you sometimes.”

“I hate you too. But if you hated me enough, you would squeeze the thing.”

Keith sighed and took the stuffed toy. Eyeing it carefully, he nestled the thing in between his arms. Looking to Lance, who had a huge smile on his face, he half-heartedly squeezed the hippo.

Woah.

The thing was really soft.

Keith swallowed a little before holding the hippo closer to his chest, feeling the embrace and the warmth from it. Keith rarely received hugs, and if this damn animal was the thing giving him a hug, oh god, he will savor the moment and all the moments to come.

Keith buried his face in the hippo’s head, breathing in its scent of grape and strawberry, and a little bit of a chemical-like smell. He squeezed the thing as tight as he could.

And as quickly as it started, it was over.

Keith looked up from the hippo’s head, releasing it from his arms and handing it back to Lance. “It’s… really soft, huggable, and really, really squishy.”

Lance looked like he was about to burst, with red cheeks and his signature shit-eating grin on his face. “See! A little cuddle doesn’t do anyone harm. So, are you gonna name it?”

Keith handed Lance a quizzical look. “You made me squish the thing, and now you want me to name it? What kind of monster are you?”

“Hey, I’ll name my plushie if you name yours!” Lance promised.

Keith took the plush back from Lance, looking at it and searching for the perfect name.

“… how about… Lavender? Or, maybe, Lilac? I don’t know, how about Lolly?” Keith suggested, unsure.

“Holy crap, Lolly is perfect! I’ll name mine Rainbow Pie!”

“…Rainbow Pie?”

“Duh. Named after Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash from My Little Pony.” Lance said, almost like he was proud.

“You know, you’re the strangest piece of crap I have ever stumbled across.”

“Thank you. And you’re the most emo and ugly-haired dude I’ve met.”

Keith smirked, a glint in his eye. “Is that a compliment?”

“When I called your hair ‘ugly’? I don’t know, take it how you wanna take it.”

Keith chuckled, exasperated. “Let’s just pay and get going.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Woahahahahhahhhhhhhh this took forever to write. Be expecting more. Thanks for the votes on Wattpad and thanks for the Kudos on The Archive of Our Own! <3)


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